The background of the instant invention is the same as, or at least highly similar to, that set forth in our above allowed patent application, Ser. No. 08/510,747, filed Aug. 3, 1995, entitled NON-TOXIC FRANGIBLE BULLET. Consequently, the background material set forth in said allowed application is hereby repeated and included herein by reference thereto.
The background of the instant invention is the same as that set forth in our above pending, non-allowed patent application, in which we seek to obtain a patent on the product of manufacture which is produced as a result of practicing the method described and claimed hereinafter and, therefore, said background material is hereby repeated and included herein by reference thereto.
The method disclosed and claimed herein provides advantages not heretofore known. Substantial difficulty has heretofore been experienced in on-line manufacture of bullet cores, especially in the transfer of the raw slug into and within the swaging machine. The swaging machines most commonly in use require that the raw slug be presented within the swaging machine endwise to the forming die to be swaged while so oriented, where it is formed into a bullet core and then carried from the die to a forming machine which applies a copper jacket. Such orientation can best be performed by mechanically gripping one end of the slug, and thereafter moving same endwise into the confines of the swaging die. A mechanical gripper is provided in an effort to accomplish this function.
We have found that it is imperative that such a slug be well-defined and of firm construction, in order to avoid crumbling thereof while being so transferred within the swager and presented to and within the next forming die. The slug member is preferably initially prepared with dimensions approaching those of the desired bullet core, in order to minimize the extent of working of the metal which is required to reach the configuration and dimensions needed in the bullet core.
It is also desirable that at least one end of the slug be shaped and formed somewhat similar to the desired cylindrical trailing end of the bullet core to be formed. In order to facilitate adequate gripping thereof by the swaging machine during the gripping of one end thereof and the presentation to the forming die, we shape the raw materials into a core or rod. Without such prior shaping, the slug member will frequently be inadequately gripped by the gripping mechanism, and the slug member will be dropped and consequently not presented within the confines of the forming die, while interrupting the entire on-line manufacturing process.
The above problems have been experienced in the past in the swaging process utilized by the swaging machines commonly used. We have utilized the Model #250-C-SSS-D swaging machine formerly available from The E. J. Manville Machine Co., Inc., which is a 30-ton Press, Crank, Horizontal Swaging device, now available from Behr Machinery and Equipment Corporation, Box 740, Rockford, Ill., U.S.A.
Once the swaging of the slug member is completed, it is washed and coated with a corrosion inhibitor. Thereafter, it is desirable to mount the same within a copper jacket. To accomplish this purpose, we transfer the swaged slug member into a Waterbury Farrel, which is a machine for that purpose. We use the 6600 Special model which was formerly available from The Waterbury Farrel Foundry & Machine Co. and now is available from Waterbury Farrel Products, a division of Jones & Lamson, located at 750 West Johnson Avenue, Cheshire, Conn. 06410, U.S.A.
The swaged slug member is transferred from the swager to the above Waterbury Farrel, at which time the copper jacket is applied to the rear end of the swaged slug member, and the formation of the bullet core is completed by further compressing the swaged slug member within that copper jacket, to complete the formation of the bullet core. Thereafter, it is transferred into closing relation within the mouth of a brass casing having a propellant and primer therewithin, as is conventional, to complete the desired cartridge.